Tony Young: Challenges abound for new leaders

In December, there will a changing of the guard at San Diego City Hall as a new mayor and several new City Council members take the oath of office. Whatever kind of honeymoon period these newly elected leaders might enjoy after the long campaign season will be quickly tested by a series of tough issues requiring immediate attention.

Over the next few months, city leaders will have to tackle a number of big challenges ranging from implementing voter-mandated pension reforms and addressing a massive infrastructure backlog to negotiating with all six city labor unions and meeting federal wastewater treatment and recycling goals.

The good news is that after a decade of fiscal struggle and political controversy, San Diego is slowly emerging from the worst of its budget woes and finally taming partisan bickering and legislative gridlock.

Earlier this year, the council approved the city’s first structurally balanced budget in years. This balanced budget sheet gives our new mayor sound fiscal footing to take care of the routine but essential business of the city such as picking up trash, delivering water, maintaining roads, keeping parks and libraries open, and providing our citizens with police and fire protection.

In order to continue a smooth and seamless delivery of these core city services, our next mayor must be diligent and deliberate in forming his new administration, a potentially treacherous political game that must balance the push for change with the need for stability and experience in vital city departments.

As we transition through our first mayoral change since the voter-mandated strong mayor-council form of government took permanent effect in 2010, the City Council has strongly indicated that it is not interested in engaging in any divisive and damaging partisan politics, as evidenced by unanimous approval of a comprehensive list of “good governing principles” that promote and strengthen a more effective, cooperative and transparent form of local government.

To accomplish the long list of top city priorities that await them, the new mayor and City Council members need to adhere to these governing guidelines, as well as respect the roles and responsibilities of both the legislative and executive branches of our government.

The next mayor and City Council will need to hit the ground running and begin work immediately on these pressing issues:

• The city currently leases hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space in privately owned buildings throughout downtown San Diego. Many of these leases are set to expire in the next year or two, so time is of the essence to explore all the options available – such as continuing to lease space in existing buildings while spending millions of dollars to maintain eroding city facilities, or building a new city hall.

• The mayor and City Council must ensure that hundreds of millions of dollars are properly allocated and progress steadily made on needed neighborhood capital improvement projects (fire stations, libraries, parks, streets, sidewalks and pipelines) as well as citywide civic/cultural activities that best benefit the citizens of San Diego.

• Strong leadership must be demonstrated to invest in the needed infrastructure to meet minimum sewage treatment standards as mandated more than a decade ago by the federal Clean Water Act. San Diego is the only city in California that continues to seek secondary water treatment waivers, and with expiration deadlines looming, the California Coastal Commission and other regulatory agencies are pushing the city to update and expand our wastewater and recycling facilities – or face potential fines and other repercussions.

• Education and workforce training remain among the most important issues in our city, trailing only jobs and the economy as voters’ top concerns. The mayor and City Council must continue to look for collaborative ways to support our local public schools and ensure a quality education for all of our students so they are prepared for the jobs and careers of the 21st century. A skilled and educated workforce is essential for attracting and retaining businesses to keep San Diego competitive in this ever-changing global economy.

• Arts and culture are the soul of our city. Our mayor and City Hall leaders need to remain committed to increasing the funding for the Commission for Arts and Culture, which contributes significantly to local economic growth and valuable civic assets. In particular, we need to forge stronger partnerships between our schools and arts organizations.

The biggest challenges for our next mayor and City Council will be managing our citizens’ budget spending priorities and engaging in nonpartisan public policymaking. I look forward to working with them to tackle San Diego’s toughest tasks and achieve our top goals – because we all deserve a thriving city that promotes good health and prosperity for all its citizens.

A skilled and educated workforce is essential for attracting and retaining businesses to keep San Diego competitive in this ever-changing global economy.